Primary Care Registered Nurse

Pittsburgh, PA 15218

About the Role

The Primary Care Registered Nurse will facilitate the mission of Metro Community Health Center to ensure the delivery of quality patient care and coordination of supportive services within the health center. This nurse will provide direct clinical support to an assigned provider or providers, function as an EMR champion, and implement a patient-centered approach to all care given whether face to face or telephonic.

The individual will administer the needs of the patients by following the scope of practice and standards of care accurately while demonstrating a broad, comprehensive knowledge base in the theory and practice of nursing. This position utilizes the nursing process to ensure quality and cost-effective health care to patients in all stages of the lifecycle. The Primary Care Registered Nurse will work independently as well as part of a team and requires a working knowledge of clinical applications, triage, and clinical decision making.

Responsibilities

• Provide and facilitate competent health care of patients and families.
• Competently telephone triage for ages 0-150 (e.g., remote assessment, medication management, community resource management, chronic disease education, plan-of-care reinforcement, discharge follow-up, etc.).
• Initiate care coordination support within the scope of Pennsylvania nursing licensure when necessary.
• Use computers for accessing electronic health records for data retrieval, data entry, charting updates, etc.
• Provide health and wellness education to individuals and groups.
• Provide support for initiatives designed to improve the quality of care or clinical outcomes. Assist in quality gap closures and prep patient visits to assist their Provider(s) in preventative and safe patient care (mammograms, colon cancer prevention, etc.).
• Assist providers with direct patient care and procedures.
• Be present during Provider clinics to assist with complex patient care and work as an important member of the care team.
• Provide in-office education for patients with newly diagnosed chronic disease.
• Utilize the in-house dietitian for assistance in patient education and questions that occur during patient care management.
• Administer immunizations and injectable medications to patients aged 0-150 as needed.
• Provide face-to-face and telephonic care to patients as assigned and qualified to perform.
• Participate in annual competencies to maintain safety and effectiveness in patient care.
• Assess, review, and develop nursing plans to ensure maximum patient outcomes.
• Provide patient/family/caregiver teaching, education, training, and counseling as needed relative to disease processes, health maintenance, medications, and ordered procedures. Working in conjunction with the dietitian can provide nutritional education and advice.
• Complete all patient documentation in a timely manner and ensure all patient records are current and complete.
• Provide direct care to patients as assigned and qualified to perform.
• Function competently under the Registered Nurse Treatment Protocols.
• Coordinate care for patients with chronic diseases.
• Assist the clerical and clinical teams with the coordination and appropriate scheduling of patients who have complicated medical problems.
• Assist in the education and training of staff.
• Provide counsel, support, advice, and assistance to patients, their families, and fellow employees.
• Perform duties including, but not limited to, vital signs, assisting the providers with procedures, providing patient education, conducting in-office testing (urine pregnancy screen, urine dip, rapid strep, laboratory tests, pregnancy tests, medication refills, fecal occult blood, HIV screening, lead testing, immunizations, and other injections).
• Act as a resource for patients, clinical staff, and Community Health Nurses (CHNs).
• Explore existing patient barriers to health access, healthful behavior, and ability to successfully manage chronic disease.
• Attend meetings such as patient conferences, planning sessions, quality assurance, patient care, and other related topics.
• Attend off-site tabling events or seminars to provide support or health education.
• Attend seminars and maintain all licensure requirements for continuing education and best practices.
• Participate in quality strategies to evaluate compliance with standards and to identify opportunities to improve patient outcomes, including TCM triage and assessment after all hospitalizations and/or ED visits.
• Schedule appropriate follow-up appointments with the primary care provider within the required time frame and prep the Provider visit with pertinent information (discharge summary, medication reconciliation, etc.).
• Support the clinical team with education and training.
• Actively participate in quality improvement/quality assurance quarterly meetings.
• Provide informal leadership and direction related to clinical collaborative, grant, study, program, or research-related initiatives that improve the lives of patients and communities.
• Balance complex clinical scenarios with appropriate triage for optimal patient outcomes.
• Effectively communicate using excellent verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills.
• Utilize decision-making skills and tools to complete tasks including administering or refilling medications and immunizations, performing diagnostic testing, assessing patient/family psychological issues, managing patient telephone triage, and interpreting/recording lab values/diagnostic test results.
• Respond to patient phone calls within 24 hours and document conversations appropriately in the electronic medical record.
• Fulfill refill orders following RN protocol policy to alleviate Provider involvement using appropriate assessment to ensure safe patient care.
• Ensure all tasks provided and associated with patient care, patient administrative processes, and related duties comply with all regulatory and accreditation standards, as well as clinic policies and procedures.
• Maintain regulatory (HRSA, VFC, OSHA, CLIA, HIPAA) standards according to policies and procedures.
• Use problem-solving skills to serve the health center’s patient population.
• Seek out self-learning activities and have a general desire to expand current clinical knowledge and skills.
• Maintain a clean work environment (exam rooms, desk space, etc.).
• Build customer and staff relationships and provide excellent customer service.
• Adhere to established standards of care and scope of practice.
• Assist care team in creating/printing out visit summaries and letters needed during the patient visit (back to school, return to work, etc.).
• Complete forms (FMLA, handicap access forms, disability, WIC, child health reports) to alleviate Provider workload.
• Ensure no sick child is turned away for immediate care as triaged by the nurse.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited nursing program.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Current, state RN license.
• 3-5 years acute and/or outpatient medical nursing experience preferred.

Skills

• Demonstrated success in providing clinical care and nursing support within an organization of comparable pace and complexity.
• Demonstrated success in managing difficult patient/customer situations.
• Significant knowledge of medical practices and procedures within a primary care environment.
• Significant understanding of local health care systems and access.
• Demonstrated success and familiarity with tools, technology, and systems typically found within most progressive health care environments.
• Adaptability.
• Decision making and problem solving.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal, non-verbal, written).
• Respect for diversity.
• Composure.
• Collegiality/teamwork.
• Client/patient focus.
• Quality driven.
• High work standards.
• Coachable.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to manipulate objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; and talk and hear. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Noise levels in the work environment are usually quiet.